Autocar announced it is now mounting refuse and other vocational bodies directly on its new conventional Autocar DC on the production line. The company said this is an “unprecedented” change to the model of refuse truck production, bringing together the two main components – the chassis and the body -- and treating the truck as one complete tool. Autocar calls this process the Ultimate Power of One and said refuse truck operators will experience several significant benefits from this innovation.

“We’ve always known that improving the integration of our refuse truck chassis and refuse bodies is essential to reducing our customers’ downtime,” explained James Johnston, president of Autocar. “So flawless integration is a key aspect of our Always Up mission. We decided to take responsibility for building the truck as one compete tool. When we engineer the truck as a complete tool and mount body components right on the Autocar production line, we call that ‘Power of One’.”

Autocar introduced Power of One integration on the ACX cabover truck recently, and data reported by truck operators for the first 90 days in service shows a substantial improvement in uptime and reliability, the company said. The Power of One integrated trucks also demonstrated cost savings not only from avoided repairs but also from other downtime-related costs such as lost driver hours and towing that were eliminated, Autocar said. As a result, the company said it will offer Power of One integration with all refuse body manufacturers.

Enhanced safety is another benefit of Autocar’s Power of One integration, according to the company. Since the whole system – chassis plus body – is pre-engineered and then assembled as one complete tool, Autocar’s finished trucks comply with all FMVSS and EPA regulations when they roll off the assembly line. This is one more aspect of the Always Up model that Autocar said differentiates it from other truck brands which typically are modified with specialty bodies after they are built, increasing the risk of noncompliance with safety standards and other government regulations.

According to Autocar, the Ultimate Power of One process starts with engineering each truck based on that specific customer’s needs and working closely with the selected body company’s engineers. All the body components are then installed during Autocar’s production process. So all the electrical harnesses are installed together, eliminating the risk of splices, loose connectors, or drilled access holes. Body components are huck-bolted onto the frame rails in the precisely correct locations, not welded, avoiding misplacement and damage to the rails. Autocar will also fully mount tarp systems and lighting kits, so when the truck rolls out of the Autocar factory it can go to work immediately.

“Building trucks with the Power of One process is a game-changer for our customers," said Eric Schwartz, managing director of Autocar Trucks. "They tell us they have experienced a significant improvement in uptime for the Power of One trucks already in service. There’s another benefit that the Ultimate Power of One takes ever further: We are able to deliver ready-to-work truck months faster than ever before. In fact, for trucks ordered now, we are committing to deliver completed trucks in calendar [year] 2019.”

Autocar offers the DC-64R with a wide range of Ultimate Power of One specifications. Roll-off hoists are available with 60,000- and 75,000-lb. capacities for 22- and 24-foot-long dumpsters. Telescopic, single-forward, and single-rearward-mounted cylinder configurations are also available. The DC-64R can be engineered with a rear-cab guard and with or without pusher axles, as the customer’s needs require. All are installed on Autocar’s production line.